On 15 August 1951, an outbreak of poisoning, marked by acute psychotic episodes and various physical symptoms, occurred in Pont-Saint-Esprit. More than 250 people were involved, including 50 persons interned in asylums and four deaths.[1] Most academic sources accept ergot poisoning as the cause of the epidemic, while a few theorize other causes such as poisoning by mercury, mycotoxins, or nitrogen trichloride.[2][3][4][5][6] In 2008, journalist Hank Albarelli speculated that the incident was a secret mind control experiment by the Central Intelligence Agency, a conclusion subsequently dismissed by historians and chemists.[7]